interview. >> mick to you. >> the eternal rock star still electrifying a crowd like no one else on earth. plus, from a very bad santa to a not so silent night, to a christmas story yuletide nightmare. what happens when saint nick goes naughty. from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden, and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," december 13th, 2012. good evening, i'm bill weir. you remember way back when reality television was the way people described the nightly news? the unscripted genre has completely changed the landscape inside the screen you're watching right nower but how has it altered the meaning of the word reality? today the wildly popular auction show "storage wars" is under fire from an ex-star who says they are faking some of the big money shots.

abc's dan harris separates fact from fiction. >> bring it on. >> 250! >> sold. >> reporter: it is one of the most popular reality shows on tv. "storage wars" has a simple addictive conceit. people bid on the contents of storage lockers that have been abandoned by their owners. >> oh, my gosh! >> what happened? >> there's a body in there. >> reporter: inside they find either the worthless things of people's lives. >> what's this? >> not good. >> reporter: or hidden treasures. >> silver silverware set. >> reporter: one of the stars is this guy, david hester, known as the mogul, a man who has a signature motto which he hollerñ during the auction. >> yep! >> reporter: but now there is strife in storage land. >> this one's not for me. >> reporter: the mogul has hired a big shot hollywood attorney and filed a lawsuit, alleging

that a&e has committed a fraud on the public. hester says the producers regularly salt or plant the storage lockers with valuable or unusual items to create drama and suspense. >> wow. check these out. >> reporter: he points to specific examples, such as this stack of old newspapers announcing the death of elvis presley. and this car found under a pile of trash. >> whoa! >> it's a bmw. >> reporter: hester says after he complained, he was fired. a&e, which is half owned by disney, the parent company of abc, told us today they will not comment on pending lawsuits, but one of the show's producers did say this recently. >> i can honestly tell you that the stuff found in those containers are found in the storage containers. >> reporter: although he did admit they sometimes move items from one storage locker to another. this is not the first time the level of reality in reality tv has been questioned. recently, a former participant

on hgtv's requests house hunters," which follows families choosing a new home, said producers knew she and her husband had already purchased their new home before they taped the show in 2006. >> finally the producer said let's do whatever. so we called our very closest and kindest friends who were that generous and they offered up their houses for us to tour as our pretend decision making houses. >> reporter: in a statement, hgtv said we aren't showing a documentary, we're simply entertaining our viewers. >> reality tv is a little bit like sausage. you might love the way it tastes but you don't necessarily want to know how it's made. >> reporter: clearly, most viewers know that not every fight or drunken hook up on reality tv is real. but when there's a competition, there is an expectation of some authenticity. back in the 1950s, after revelations that contestants on

popular quiz shows were secretly given the answers, congress held hearings and made it illegal to rig quiz shows. >> i don't think it's our style. >> reporter: nobody alleges the level of manipulation on today's reality shows is anywhere near that, and legal experts we spoke with don't think the producers of "storage wars" are in danger of any criminal charges. >> i'm not sure that this is really a contest with a prize. they get to buy a locker full of stuff and sometimes there might be a jewel in there, but that's not necessarily a prize from the sponsor. >> it's very important for the producers of this program to have a relationship with the audience that makes them believe that what they're seeing is real. and if this can be annihilated, not only in a legal court but in the court of public opinion, it can undermine the ratings greatly. >> reporter: which is why at least one observer tonight is advising that a&e that whether the mogul's allegations are true

important. >> reporter: thank you, dan. coming up next, ladies and gentlemen, the rolling stones. "nightline" has the only interview while they're on tour and we'll learn how they manage to keep things agas after 50 years. captions paid for by abc, inc. up for free before december 20h for delivery in time for the holidays. you can even give us special instructions on where to find it. free package pickup. from the u.s. postal service. because it's nice to have an extra pair of hands around for the holidays.

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"nightline" continues from new york city with bill weir. >> it has been noted that the average age of the rolling stones is now older than that of the u.s. supreme court. but you know who's not making the predictable age jokes on this tour? everyone who has seen this tour. because mint, keith, charlie, and ron still rock with the best of them, while calling this live chapter 50 and counting in defiant refusal to ever roll to an end. tonight, time is on our side, as "nightline" brings you the only tv interview since their golden anniversary. there's a scene in the new hbo documentary "crossfire hurricane" that takes us backstage with the stones in the early '70s. back when mick jagger would slither into a body suit, snort coke off a switchblade, and then

with molten sexual energy proceed to blow the minds of an arena packed to the sweaty rafters. the laws of burnt out physics tell us that this level is supposed to either split a band or kill its stars young. well, behold mick jagger at age 69. ♪ for two and a half hours, he shimmies laps around the lips and tongue stage, as baby boomers and their kids get a contact high from all this vintage uncut rock 'n' roll. how do you do it? how do you do it? i was sore watching. >> it's just what i do really. and then after that, you have a room full of people come over and go crazy and drink all your

wine. >> we were talking about it. if people are willing to pay $500, $600 for a seat, just think what they would pay for mick jagger elixir, or whatever it is, your fitness regimen. >> i don't really have much of a fitness regimen, to be honest. it's pretty low-key. i mean, i do have one. >> keith richards, who also turns 69 next week, is admittedly less mobile onstage, but as he proved during last night's concert for hurricane sandy relief, that guitar gives him no less power to anyone with an eardrum. what is it like to be keith richards and hit an opening riff and see it just rip like electricity through a room like that? >> it is indescribable. i wish you could all be there. but it's something i can't share with anybody. maybe charlie watts and the guys in the band. there's just a magic to it.

i'm in love of it, really. after all, when it comes down to it, what do duo, what are we good at, we touch people's hearts. >> and to think the stones nearly split for good several times over recent decades. as keith revealed in his recent autobiography "life," his resentiment for jagger began building in the '80s when the singer's ego seemed to grow too big for the band. i used to love to hang with mick, he wrote, but i haven't gone to his dressing room in 20 years. sometimes i miss my friend. where the hell did he go? that line makes the film "charlie is my darling" all the more poignant. shot in the 1965 tour, it shows the glimmer twins writing songs as a true creative team. but keith's insults of jagger in his book were so sering it took a reported apology from richards before this reunion could even happen. how would you characterize your relationship with keith these

days? >> at the moment, it's good. a pretty good working relationship. we see each other, we go onstage and we play together and we rehearse six weeks in paris. it's pretty good. ♪ >> two new songs. did you write those together? separately? >> separately. keith lives in the united states and i live in europe. >> one of the great clips i came across was you guys noodling together. >> yeah. >> how much of that is the secret sauce of the stones, where you two need to be together to do that? >> i think we've gone past that, really. >> we're made to do this. it's when we're not working there's a problem. or could be. but otherwise, mick and i have been working together the last few months. it's been a revelation really. >> really? >> yeah. how you can all get along once you're in the groove and stuff and how much we actually do fit

together. it's very interesting. >> there was a time earlier this year, i thought -- i don't think it will happen again. i didn't mind. >> there was a time when it was in the balance when people were saying oh, it's not going to happen. it looked like it, but i never believed it. >> and as they had struggled for harmony, some in the band have also tackled addiction over the years, most notably keith's hard-won battles with heroin. >> i don't do anything no more. i've done it all. once you've done it all, what are you going to do, you know? you give it up and enjoy giving it up. the only thing i haven't done before was giving things up. this is another turn. it's wonderful being straight. >> he still enjoys a drink or three, but not so for drummer charlie watts. the elder stone has long been a well behaved family man, and no more partying until sunrise for guitarist ronnie wood.

you've been sober for a while. >> for years. >> this is the first tour, though, right? to test that will power? >> yeah, probably. yeah. >> how's it going? >> going great. i handle things much easier. >> he's doing very well. it's very difficult for him. >> great support. >> but it's a big deal when you do it for weeks straight. you think i'm never going to make the end of it. >> but by all accounts, he did. they all did, thanks to eight weeks of all day rehearsals to prepare for just five shows. but even though this tour is called 50 and counting, you can't help but wonder when this incredible run will end. as you can see in "charlie is my darling", it's a question that goes back to the days of girls literally wetting themselves in the aisles and boys starting concert riots. back when it seemed like the rolling stones were the most dangerous force in the universe. >> when we first got a record,

given the chance, we thought well, it's good -- we'll probably be around a year, maybe a year and a half. then it's all going to be over. >> first year -- 1965. can you keep doing this? i remember being asked that in 1965 and every decade i was asked it. >> you are not a nostalgic guy. you're not an introspective guy at all. >> not really. i hate to put up with this 50-year thing. it was sort of thrust upon you. it's something to be proud of. but i'll be glad when it's over. >> would you allow yourself a moment to just soak in the enormity of what you guys have accomplished over these years before walking onstage for this one? [ laughter ] >> yeah, it's a pretty humbling thought when you actually think about it. and i don't get humble often. >> one more shot is what they're

calling the stones' 50 and counting finale. a live worldwide pay-per-view event, 9:00 p.m. eastern time this saturday night, special guest bruce springsteen, lady gaga and the black keys. next, how old saint nick is getting a little more sadistic these days. soriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone -- and may not clear you completely, but for many, it gets skin clearer fast, within 2 months, and keeps it clearer up to 9 months. [ male announcer ] because enbrel®, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu.

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he sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, and that may be disturbing considering the modern santa trend. here's abc's nick watt. >> reporter: it's cold, silent night. the latest in a long line of movies in which santa was bad. >> christmas eve is the scariest

damn night of the year. >> the santa costume is right. there's too much imbibing of the christmas cheer. >> reporter: from "southpark." >> we meet again, jesus. >> reporter: to "american horror story." >> what do you say we blow this pop stand. >> reporter: they love to turn the embodiment of goodness into evil. >> christmas has a dark side, too. >> it's a tried and tested theatrical christmas. >> reporter: it's scary like a clown is scary. evil behind a jolly mask. it's scary like the original "silent night" is scary, back from 1984. >> it was deemed sort of sacrilegious to make santa this figure. >> you people have nothing to be proud of, even if you made a few bucks off all the negative publicity. your profits truly are blood money.

>> reporter: it's funny, like dan aykroyd in "trading places." and it's funny like a local news story about a grumpy mall santa getting fired in maine. >> he didn't even ask if she was good or any of that. he just kind of snubbed her. >> reporter: even the santa who let me pull his beard at the americana mall in glendale. thinks that's funny. >> there's a lot of old grumpy santas. >> reporter: and a lot of evil santas. but our santa has a serious point to make. >> i think it's an aberration. there's no bad santa. there may be people who act as santa who are bad people. >> bad santa was perhaps the best that this honor is ever going to get. >> what are you doing? delicious, kind of world weariness to his santa. >> i'm on my [ bleep ] lunch break, okay? >> reporter: don't we all at times feel a little bit like

that at the holidays? i'm nick watt for "nightline." >> yikes. "bad santa 2" will be coming out in 2013. thank you, nick watt and thank you for watching. we'll see you right back here tomorrow. have a great night. >> dicky: up next on an all-new "jimmy kimmel live," this week, an unnecessary censorship. >> i might [ bleep ] your bum if you're naughty. >> dicky: carson daly. >> how many times have you been to the white house since i've had my daughter? >> twice. >> you choose this country over your friend's daughter. >> dicky: and zachary knighton. and music from dan deacon.